At first, keyboards were only used for typing, however, currently, they are used by gamers, and they are used for editing, as well as for various professional works. There are many different types of keyboards available in the market that can be purchased, for example, Flexible keyboard, Gaming keyboard, Wireless keyboard, Membrane Keyboard, Mechanical Keyboard, Virtual Keyboard, etc.
What is a Mechanical Keyboard?
The mechanical keyboard was introduced in early 2000. You might be wondering what’s so special about a mechanical keyboard? A mechanical keyboard uses an individual switch for each key. After you press the key down far enough to engage the switch on the key, it will be registered as a keystroke.
This keyboard has a mechanism for working. It does not have a layer of rubber-like a membrane keyboard does. When you are pressing the key, it has a mechanism on its side, when they both collide with each other, the circuit will send the information to the CPU. Which will later display the output on the screen.
Even if the keys are pressed gently, the mechanism in it will automatically detect the stroke.
Various mechanical keys/switches can be seen used in many keyboards- Cherry MX.
The cherry MX keys are made with different names, and colors, not only that, all the specifications are different from each other.
A mechanical keyboard allows the user to choose between different feel as well as sounds of the switches (the switch is part under the keys that move up and down), for example, loud and clicky, silent and bumpy, and smooth and quiet.
The three different types of switches are referred to as linear, clicky, and tactile. The basic colors used in cherry MX are red, brown, and blue. Seeing these colors, one will be able to differentiate between the keyboards and their specifications along with how they work.
When the blue cherry MX is pressed, they produce a sound of a mouse when clicked, the clicking sound can be heard very easily. The Cherry MX Blues are Clicky Switches: Loud and Bumpy.
Whereas, the Brown cherry MX does not produce any clickable sound. The Cherry MX Browns are Tactile Switches: Perfect for Typing.
Red cherry MX does have a clickable sound; however, it is not like the sweet sound of the cherry MX blue. The Cherry MX Red are Linear Switches: Not the Best for Typing. The cherry MX red is built for singular smooth linear motion.
Do mechanical keyboards really make a difference?
If you happen to be a gamer or a programmer, you will be choosing a mechanical keyboard, almost always, over a membrane keyboard. As you will be able to appreciate the precise control as well as feedback that the mechanical keyboards provide.
Unlike the majority of keyboards, the sounds, feel, as well as feedback from mechanical keyboards let typists type faster as well as more accurately. Mechanical keyboards let gamers control their in-game movement even more precisely.
In addition to precision, mechanical keyboards also have a significantly longer lifespan, i.e., they last longer and have considerably high keypresses. Many mechanical keyboards are rated to last anywhere from 20 million to 100 million keypresses, whereas a typical membrane keyboard is only around 5 million to 10 million.
Mechanical keyboards also provide special features that are handy and pique the interest of gamers, for example, a feature called “rollover.” Rollover ensures that every key that is pressed is sensed, even if the keys are pressed simultaneously. Mechanical keyboards can perform rollover easily, whereas the membrane or regular keyboards are not especially good at it. They will often cancel simultaneous presses, or only a few keypresses are registered.
Not everyone will be able to appreciate mechanical keyboards, and it is not for everyone, as well. As mentioned above, mechanical keyboards can be loud, which can prove to be distracting if you are sharing a room with other people. Generally, these are also more expensive than regular or membrane keyboards, though there are always exceptions.
That being said, if you are in the market for a new keyboard and are looking to improve your typing speed or accuracy, you should consider checking out a mechanical keyboard.
Is Mechanical Keyboard cheaper compared to regular Keyboards?
A general answer is No, however, whenever there is a standard, there are always exceptions. While mechanical keyboards feel better than regular keyboards, the considerate drawback is that they tend to be more expensive. There are a few reasons for this higher cost, but, the major reason for the increase in cost is due to the individual switches.
Mechanical keyboards do range in price by quite a bit, some of the more expensive keyboards fall in the $200 range, for example, the Massdrop CTRL keyboard. The lower-end mechanical keyboards usually lie in the $30 range, for example, the Redragon K552. With the difference in the prices, there come big differences in the quality, when you compare the expensive to the cheap mechanical keyboards. Generally, a decent mechanical keyboard hovers usually around $80.
So why is there such a large price range? Well, to be put simply, the more expensive mechanical keyboards tend to last longer as they are made from better materials. You can see the main differences in the features, as well as components, are shown in the table below.
| Components | Expensive Mechanical Keyboard | Cheap Mechanical Keyboard Material |
| Keyboard Case | Aluminum | Plastic |
| Keycaps | PBT Plastic | ABS Plastic |
| Switch Brand | Cherry MX, Kailh, ZealPC | Gateron, Outemu |
| Lighting | RGB along with Underlighting | White lighting, No lighting |
Can Mechanical keyboards improve my typing speed?
Using a mechanical keyboard instead of a normal keyboard can improve typing speed by allowing you to customize the feel as well as the sound of your keyboard. The tactile along with the audio feedback from a mechanical keyboard can help improve typing speeds, as you can feel the keystrokes registering.
Yes, mechanical keyboards may offer improvements in your typing speed, however, the biggest factor will always be practice, practice, and more practice.
Mechanical keyboards allow the users ultimate customization, these allow you to choose the perfect keycaps, switches, as well as keyboard height to optimize the typing experience. In addition, mechanical keyboards also allow you to type more consistently while helping avoid errors.
Though there is no definitive proof that a mechanical keyboard will always make you type faster, the added benefits of using a mechanical keyboard can help boost your typing speed when compared to a standard keyboard.
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